Download Battle of Wyse Fork

58
KinstonLenoir County
Visitor’s Center
Lenoir
Community
College
70
2
The Baron &
The Beef
1
3
4
ek
Cre
est
thw
u
o
S
Kelly’s
Woodmen
Mill Pond of the World
Rd
use
Ne
11 10
Wha
ley R
d
Designed and printed by Corporate Resources
Cobb Rd
Rd
bb
Co
5
70
Rd
tish
Bri
6
Mallard’s
Convenience
Store
8
9
Driving Tour
Map
7
d
hR
itis
r
B
e
ys
W rk Rd
o
F
H i s tory a nd D r i v in g To u r
70
N
Wyse Fork
�e �attle of
�e �attle of �yse �ork
Kinston-Lenoir County Tourism
800-869-0032 • www.visitkinston.com
Bike Rides
battlefields
Thunder in the
www.historicalpreservationgroup.org
If you would like to make a donation or obtain
more information on Saving the Battlefields
Contact: Dr. Lyle Holland
Chairman-Lenoir County Battlefield Commission
252-527-7494 or
E-mail: [email protected]
Battle in North Carolina
Second Largest Civil War
Result(s): Union victory
Estimated Casualties: 2,601 total(US 1,101;
CS 1,500)
Rd
ation
ll St
e
w
Cas
Forces Engaged: Divisions: 20,500 total (US
12,000; CS 8,500)
Rd
tion
Sta
l
l
we
Cas
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. John Schofield
[US]; Gen. Braxton Bragg [CS]
Date(s): March 7-10, 1865
Campaign: Campaign of the Carolinas (FebruaryApril 1865)
Location: Lenoir County
Other Names: Wilcox’s Bridge, Wise’s Fork,
Second Kinston, Second Southwest Creek, Kelly’s
Mill Pond
March 7-10, 1865
- the last mass capture of Union soldiers during the Civil War
In early 1865, after the fall of Wilmington, Union General John Schofield moved his base of operation to New Bern. His mission was to open the railroad from New
Bern to Goldsboro in order to link up with and resupply Sherman’s troops coming up from South Carolina. During this time the Confederates concentrated Gen.
Braxton Bragg’s command, Gen Robert F. Hoke and Gen. Daniel Harvey Hill’s divisions at Kinston.
Schofield marched out of New Bern in early March and headed west toward Kinston. On March 6th the Union Provisional Corps, under Gen. Jacob Cox’s command, reached
the Southwest Creek area. He found the Confederates deployed into fortified defensive positions along the west bank of Southwest Creek from Jackson’s Mill, across the Dover Road to Neuse Road and Caswell Station Road. Hoke’s division held the Confederate right flank; Hill’s the left.
During March 7th two of Union Gen. Cox’s divisions moved to both Wyse Fork and to where British Road crosses the railroad; and sent brigades forward to picket
Southwest Creek. On the evening of March 7, 1865, at a council of war, Gen. Hoke proposed a plan to take out the Union advance and set a trap to snare part of the
army.
In the predawn hours of March 8th, Hoke pulled three brigades out of the entrenchments and marched to the southwest around Jackson’s Millpond and crossed
the Southwest Creek swamp undetected by the Union advance. To mask Hoke’s movement, Hill’s infantry and artillery fired on the Union soldiers in their front.
Hoke’s assault on the Union’s left flank cut the 15th Conn. & 27th Mass. off from their support two miles away at Wyse Fork. The outnumbered and surprised
Union soldiers turned about face and fired at Hoke’s attacking infantry three times. Each time the Confederates enveloped them and forced them into a smaller
space. Finally the discipline of the Union soldiers failed and the Confederates overwhelmed the survivors and rounded up most of those trying to escape, capturing nearly 900 officers and men in the last mass capture of Union troops of the Civil War. During the night the Union Army withdrew to Wyse Fork area and went
on the defensive, soldiers cut trees and dug earthworks. Few Union soldiers had shovels, so they dug with plates, bayonets and anything else they could lay their
hands on. They built a “U” shaped earthwork east of the British Road, stretching across the lower Trent Road and Dover Road, anchored at Wyse Fork. The Confederates moved toward Wyse Fork and dug in along British Road and behind Mill Branch forming an upside down “L”.
March 9th was one of skirmishing and probing by both sides
but there were no major battles. Despite the lull of the
day Bragg still believed he could win. That night, Bragg
ordered Hoke to be aggressive and to hit the Union
left flank near the Wyse Fork crossroads while Hill attacked the Union center left. “The attack must be vigorous and determined, as success must be achieved”.
About noon on March 10th, Hoke had his division in
position but unlike his attack two days earlier Hoke
did not catch the Federals off guard. Twenty-one
Union cannons had been moved to Wyse Fork. Hoke’s
regiments hit hard; One of Kirkland’s Brigade (42nd,
66th, 17th NC) fought its way into Union works but
were repulsed. Hill’s division made even less headway. At the sound of firing on the right his division
pushed forward. His men only got as far as the first
lines of Union works before grinding to a halt. By the
evening March 10, 1865, the Battle of Wyse Fork was
over. After a promising beginning, the Confederate
army at Southwest Creek was forced to retreat. Bragg
had failed to stop Cox and Schofield. The Union army
finally captured Kinston.
TOUR STOP # 1
Begin at the Kinston-Lenoir County Visitor’s
& Information Center and turn right out of the
parking lot. Drive 1.9 miles on Hwy 70 East.
Turn left on Neuse Road and take the immediate right into the parking lot of the small
building complex. The Civil War Trails sign is
at east end of the parking lot.
The Howard House, located to the east and destroyed in the 1960’s, was the headquarters of
Gen. Braxton Bragg. At this location on March
7, 1865, plans for the attacks by Gen. Hoke and
Gen. Hill’s Divisions were made. The plan
was for Hill’s Division to feint forward across
Southwest Creek while Hoke’s Division moved
around the Millpond to attack the Union left
flank. Hoke’s move around the Millpond
would position him at the junction of British
Road and Cobb Road, where he would strike
with surprise and strength, which would lead
to the capture of the 15th Connecticut and the
27th Massachusetts regiments on March 8th.
900 Union Troops would be captured along
with three pieces of Union Artillery. This was
the most significant success of the Confederate
forces during the battle.
TOUR STOP #2
lot, proceed to the east end of the lot. The Millpond
was just to your right. To your right and rear, behind the building, was part of Hoke’s Division, to
your left front the earthwork line ran along Southwest Creek to Camp Southwest and beyond. Hoke’s
Division was flanked to the left, by Gen. D. H. Hill
and Lawrence Baker’s NC Junior Reserves in Camp
Southwest.
fork of Cobb and Whaley Road, look east. This
is the center of Hoke’s Divisions flank attack of
March 8. He quickly entered the field to your
front and rolled the 27th Massachusetts back toward US 70 (Dover Road), where the capture of
the 27th Massachusetts and the 15th Connecticut took place.
TOUR STOP # 3
Return 0.5 mile to US 70, turn right and go
.6 mile and turn left onto British Road. Immediately turn right into the Historical Markers
parking lot and read sign. British Road was a
strategic position of higher ground, running relatively parallel with Southwest Creek. After the
mass capture and heavy artillery shelling of the
woods in front of you, the Confederates set up
a line of strong earthworks on the west side of
British Road, running toward the Railroad and
stopping along, just shy of Mill Branch. This line
was maintained on March 9 & 10 by Gen. Hill
and Hoke’s Divisions.
Return to US Hwy 70, turn right and go 0.6 mile
and turn right into the Woodmen of the World parking lot where you can read the Civil War Trails
sign “Last Mass Capture of Union Troops“ in the
Civil War. Look across Hwy 70 at the 3 story white
home, The Cobb House. This house was used as a
hospital during the battle. In the early 1970’s, before
there were four lanes of the highway, there were
large oak trees in the yard with the tops blown out
by cannon projectiles. Photos of these trees can be
seen on page 38, Figure 29, in the book “Through
the Eyes of Soldiers: The Battle of Wyse Fork, Kinston, North Carolina, March 7-10, 1865” by Tom J.
Edwards and William H. Rowland. The 15th Connecticut Regiment had a line directly behind this
house. They were all captured in the Hoke flank attack of March 8.
Return to US Hwy. 70, turn left and go 0.4 mile.
Turn right into The Baron & The Beef parking
TOUR STOP # 4
just to your left front, in the field. The open area
to your right, with mobile homes, and through
the thin line of trees, was an area of very heavy
fighting, evidenced by thousands of minié
balls, cannonball projectiles and every kind of
artifact one could imagine! The grounds here
were literally saturated with lead.
Relatively heavy fighting took place in this area, as
evidenced by artifact finds, but not nearly as heavy
as stop #6.
TOUR STOP # 7
Drive 0.9 mile up British Road, cross the railroad track and turn into the vacant drive to
your right, in the cluster of pine trees. To your
front are Union earthworks, held by Gen. Innis Palmer, which was the extreme right of the
Union line. Hoke attempted a flank attack here
on March 9th, but thought better of it, based
upon his assessment of this position and the
difficulty of getting around the flank at this
place.
TOUR STOP # 8
Go back 0.6 mile toward US 70 and turn left,
on Caswell Station Road. Go 0.2 mile and pull
over on wide shoulder in front of small brick
home. At this point, the Union lines crossed
the road. They were under the command of
Colonel Orr, and were entrenched to your right
front, along the tree line. Troops under Union
Col. Classen were positioned across the road,
at an angle, across the field to British Road.
Turn Right on Hwy 70 E, go 0.1 mile and turn right
on Cobb Road. Go 0.6 mile and pull over into the
TOUR STOP #9
Continue on Caswell Station Road 0.6 mile to Hwy
70 and cross over to Mallard’s Convenience Store
Parking lot. Drive to west end of Parking lot to
The Civil War Trails sign that will describe General
Hoke’s 3rd day attack. Looking West, just slightly
to your front and left, Col. Splaine’s 17th & 25th
Massachusetts troops were dug-in. To the right of
US 70, behind the white house, Col. Malloy was entrenched. By March 10, Union Gen. Cox extended
his left flank, up to and across the lower Trent Road,
to your left rear. Gen. Hoke’s Division of Kirkland,
Clingman, Colquitt and Hagood Brigades had made
a cross country march in the late night and early
morning of March 10, to attack this left flank. Had
the lines not been extended, Hoke probably would
have rolled up the left flank. Cox, recognizing the
potential of this flank attack and extending the
lines, saved the Union Army. Hoke’s attack, instead
of being on the flank, hit firmly entrenched infantry which had heavy artillery support. Kirkland’s
Brigade, the lead element, was handled roughly,
suffering heavy casualties. Col. McQuiston, on the
east side of the Lower Trent Road, was on the flank
of the 66th Regiment NC Troops. It was a bloody
angle. Hoke retreated back quickly to the west side
TOUR STOP #5
TOUR STOP # 6
Turn Right on British Road. Drive 0.4 mile to the
next stop, the Jones County line. You are traveling in the relative center of the two lines where
very heavy fighting took place on March 8 & 10.
Be careful as you pull over, the shoulder of the
road is narrow. Use flashers!!!!! To your left, the
Confederate line angled left. Starr’s Battery was
of Southwest Creek. On the night of March
10th, the Confederates Retreated to Kinston,
under mounting Union pressure. This area to
your left, behind the power lines and left of the
silo to the Lower Trent Road, was strewn with
thousands of minié balls, evidencing the place
of the March 10th flank attack.
TOUR STOP #10
Drive across US 70 down Caswell Station Road
2.1 miles to Neuse Road. Turn left and go 0.7
mile, you will see a sign for Camp Southwest.
The “NC Junior Reserves” and “Camp Southwest” Civil War Trails signs are located here.
TOUR STOP # 11
Return to Neuse Road, turn left and go 0.4 mile
to the Railroad Crossing. This is the Confederate evacuation route into Kinston, after the
Battle of Wyse Fork. As you look to the west,
Kinston is about 1.5 miles away, across the
Neuse River.
TOUR STOP # 12
Drive 0.7 mile to US Hwy 70. Turn right and
drive 1.9 miles to the Kinston-Lenoir County
Visitor’s and Information Center, where more
information on the Battle of Wyse Fork, including a map set showing troop positions and
movements, is available.
Dennis Harper,
Battle of Wyse Fork Historian